- Pregnancy & Birth, Women's HealthGeneral Page Tier 3BlogYou’re pregnant – congratulations! Whether it’s your first baby or you’re adding a brother or sister to the family, having a safe, healthy and positive labor experience is what every family wants. One option for many women and their partners is to include a doula as part of their care team. A doula is a trained, non-medical, professional who nurtures, supports and offers guidance for families throughout labor and delivery, and after the birth. Doulas offer a wide range of services, including help with breastfeeding as well as postpartum care. Studies show a doula’s continuous labor support benefits mom and baby in many ways. It can often mean: • A more satisfying birth experience• Less need for pain medications• Less likelihood of needing a cesarean delivery• Shorter labor Finding the right person to be part of one of the most important events of your life may feel overwhelming. So, where do you start and how should you choose? Here are six tips to guide you in your search. Start looking early in your pregnancy It’s good to begin the process of finding a doula at your fourth to fifth month of pregnancy. Finding someone who’s the right fit may take more time than you think. Doulas work on-call, so they have a limit on how many clients they can serve at one time. Choosing a doula early in your pregnancy will give you time to get to know each other and get comfortable with your birth plan. Talk to other families As with most things, word-of-mouth referrals are gold. Talking with friends who have used a doula about their experience can help you start and even narrow your search. Technology – Facebook groups, a Google search for other online groups and forums – can connect you with other moms in your area. Keep in mind that everyone’s experience can be different. A good match for someone else may not be a good match for you, and vice-versa. Talk with the provider who’s caring for you during your pregnancy You’ll need to let your doctor or midwife know you’re planning on having a doula as part of your labor and delivery team. And if your provider has worked with a doula in the past, they may be able to offer a recommendation. The hospital’s lactation consultants and childbirth educators are also good resources. Check with doula certification programs Most doulas will have completed a certification program and are continually participating in education to increase their knowledge. These programs offer national, and even global, online directories of certified doulas that you can search by location. Some well-known programs include: • Birthing From Within• Childbirth and Postpartum Professional Association (CAPPA)• DONA International• DoulaMatch.net• International Childbirth Education Association (ICEA) Interview potential doulas Spending face-to-face time with the person who will be part of your baby’s birth is a must. You not only want to gather important information about them and their background, but you also need to get a feel for whether your personalities are a good fit.Prepare for the interview by thinking about why you want a doula and what you them to do for you. Spend time on the doulas’ websites. DONA International recommends asking potential doulas about: • Availability• Certification status• Experience• Fees• Services offered• Training Trust your gut When you choose someone to provide any service, there’s no doubt experience and technical skills are must-haves. But soft skills, such as communication, empathy and teamwork, come into play too. Pay attention to how you connect with and feel when you’re with them. No one knows you and what you need better than you do. Listen to and follow your instincts. Learn more Sara Shaffer is a Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM) at Luminis Health Anne Arundel Medical Center.0
- Weight Loss, Wellness, Heart CareGeneral Page Tier 3BlogSome people want six-pack abs. Some want firmer glutes. And still others want toned biceps. If you want to be healthy, though, the muscle you should care about exercising the most is your heart, says Anne Arundel Medical Center cardiac rehab nurse Shannon Adkins. She offers six tips to get started: Make it a habit. For optimal heart health, Shannon recommends at least 30 minutes of exercise a day, five to seven days a week. Know your target heart rate. For the general public, the American Heart Association recommends exercising with a target heart rate between 50 percent and 85 percent of your maximum heart rate. (Your maximum heart rate is 220 minus your age.) If you’ve had a heart event, like a heart attack or heart failure, your target heart rate is tailored based on your medical evaluation and medical history. Talk it out. You should always be able to talk while you’re exercising. If you can breathe but not speak, you’re pushing a little too hard. Ease into/out of exercise. Devote five minutes to a warm-up before you exercise and five minutes to a cool-down after. Gradually transition into and out of intense exercise to improve blood flow to your muscles and reduce stress on your heart. Do what you love. Whatever your target heart rate is, you can reach it by walking, running, swimming, biking, hiking, skiing and even dancing. “Do whatever you enjoy doing, as long as it gets your heart rate in that target range,” Shannon says. Listen to your body. “Consult your doctor before you start exercising, and stop if you feel like something’s wrong,” Shannon says. “Always listen to your body.” Learn one woman’s story about how she recovered from a heart attack and adopted a heart-healthy lifestyle. Author Shannon Adkins, RN, BSN, is a cardiac rehab nurse at AAMC. Originally published Feb. 15, 2017. Last updated Dec. 17, 2019.0
- Pregnancy & Birth, Women's HealthGeneral Page Tier 3BlogAs you start your pregnancy journey, you may have different options for prenatal care. While many women still seek traditional one-on-one appointments with their OB-GYN or midwife, more women are taking advantage of group health care like CenteringPregnancy®. The cornerstone of CenteringPregnancy® is the group discussion that takes place for the majority of each visit. During this time the group of moms — who are all due around the same time — have a chance to talk with their providers and fellow moms about important topics including labor and delivery, breastfeeding and infant care. Each CenteringPregnancy® visit also includes self-led health assessments and one-on-one belly checks with your OB-GYN or midwife. Benefits for mom and baby As group prenatal care has grown in popularity over the years, research has shown this type of healthcare can have a positive effect on both mothers and babies. A Yale School of Public Health study showed women who participated in group prenatal care were more likely to have healthy babies and go the full term of their pregnancy. According to the research, women in group prenatal care are: 33 percent less likely to have undersized infants Less likely to have a preterm delivery or an infant with low birth weight More likely to have babies that spend less time in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) Less likely to get pregnant again soon after giving birth, which can increase risk of preterm delivery According to research done by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), women attending group prenatal care are also more likely to: Feel ready for labor and delivery Have better prenatal knowledge Feel more satisfied with their care Start breastfeeding Balancing private time with group sessions While much of the CenteringPregnancy® visit will consist of group discussion time, it’s important to note that CenteringPregnancy® does not eliminate the one-on-one interaction you get with your provider. Every visit will include private belly time where your doctor or midwife will take measurements and check your baby’s health. You can use this time to ask questions that you may not be comfortable sharing with the group. Your care team will also take part in the group sessions and help lead many of the discussions. As most CenteringPregnancy® visits last between 90 minutes and two hours, this means you actually get 10 times the amount of time with your provider compared to a typical office visit. Finding friendship and support One of the main goals of the CenteringPregnancy® visits is for women to connect with fellow moms who are facing the same questions about giving birth and infant care. You may feel more relaxed and confident after talking through some of your concerns with the women in your group. You may also find unique solutions and points of view that can help you approach a problem in a different way. The group sessions are also a great time for partners, spouses and care people to connect with others who will be helping with delivery and infant care. These individuals can participate in all aspects of the CenteringPregnancy® visit. Remember you don’t have to share during the group session if you’re not comfortable doing so. But you may find you feel more comfortable sharing information as time goes on. Keep in mind that all women and their care persons in the CenteringPregnancy® group are told to maintain discretion with any information shared during the visits, and in some cases, participants are asked to sign a confidentiality form during the first visit. Empowering women to lead healthy lives Another goal of the CenteringPregnancy® visits is to help women better understand their health and empower them to take charge of their lifestyle and risk factors. Sessions include education about healthy choices and preventive steps you can take to avoid health problems during or after pregnancy, such as diabetes or heart conditions. Each visit starts with a self-led health assessment, which means you learn how to take your own health data, including weight and blood pressure. You track this data throughout the CenteringPregnancy® visits and record it in your own medical records. You will also have the opportunity to set health and lifestyle goals. The goals may focus on weight, diet, hydration, stress management, relationships or any other challenges you may be facing during pregnancy. Ultimately, the CenteringPregnancy® program aims to help women stay healthy and confident throughout their pregnancy and into motherhood. For more information about the program, visit CenteringPregnancy®0
- Senior CareGeneral Page Tier 3BlogBeing a caregiver is an important and demanding job. As the level of care your loved one needs increases, it may be time to consider whether a nursing home is the next logical step. “Each situation is unique,” says AAMC Associate Chair of Medicine Jeanette Abell, MD. “It depends a lot on the person, family, overall condition and symptoms. In general, it might be time if there are home safety issues, problems with falling or needs beyond what the caregiver can provide.” It may also be time to consider a nursing home or extra support if you are experiencing burnout as a caregiver. Caregiver burnout can include feelings of frustration or anxiety, physical illness or negative impacts on your other relationships. “These situations are never easy. One of the most important things is letting caregivers know that it’s OK to ask for help,” says Dr. Abell. It’s normal to feel stressed, guilty or anxious. It’s important to get appropriate support for what you need. You can’t continue to be a caregiver if you are not healthy yourself. If it doesn’t seem like quite the right time to move your loved one to care outside the home, Dr. Abell notes that there are several options to consider. She suggests adding support in “layers.” These could include making sure your house is safe, having someone to go grocery shopping or cook meals, or putting in place an alert system to notify the right people if your loved one falls. There are also adult daycare facilities, where older adults can go during the day for socialization, recreation, meals, and occupational or physical therapy. When possible, Dr. Abell suggests discussing your loved one’s wishes ahead of time. Have a conversation with your loved one and write down who should make healthcare decisions when he or she is unable to do so. Additionally, you may want to research and visit care facilities in your area, so you are prepared before a crisis strikes. “There is a real disconnect in the importance of these conversations and who is actually having them,” says Dr. Abell. “That’s why it’s important to have these conversations before a crisis. I like to refer to them as ‘kitchen table conversations.’” Author Jeanette Abell, MD, is the AAMC Associate Chair of Medicine. Originally published Dec. 5, 2016. Last updated Sept. 30, 2019.0
- CommunityGeneral Page Tier 3BlogIn the wake of recent events, Luminis Health CEO Tori Bayless shares how our health system plans to confront racism, together. It is impossible to witness what we all are witnessing this week without sharing these words with you… Racism. It is an ugly reality that pervades our society. It has no place in our country, in our community, or in our health system. We will confront racism head on, and take action against it. Overt. Systemic. And everything in between. The recent, senseless killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor are the most recent incidents of a long-standing legacy of inequity that demands justice. They demand that we do better. This problem that lingers in our society is not the burden of people of color alone. The ugliness is impacting our co-workers, patients, friends and family. Therefore, it is our problem to confront together. In the tumultuous days since the murder of George Floyd, emotions are understandably running high. Outrage. Grief. Sadness. Fear. Anger. Together we are planning our response as a health system that will underscore our commitment to justice and to every human life. We will do it together, as a team. As one. We also are caregivers. And we will care for each other, our patients and our community through this unrest and this ugly reality. We need to ask, how can we work together to understand those who need to be heard and protected? How can I be a better ally to my colleagues? It goes even deeper. How can I hear what I am not hearing? As a health system our core values fight against racism – but is it enough? Are we making progress? Today, I encourage you to check on each other. Offer to listen. Think about actions you can take, big and small, to start making a difference. I will be doing the same. And we will share our organizational response with you in the coming days. Together, we can heal and make change happen. Together we will be a part of the solution and support the eradication of inequity.0
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